Systems and methods for efficiently managing print procurement orders based on item-specific interest levels and supplier-influenced thresholds for multiple users simultaneously

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods of managing print procurement systems are disclosed herein. An example method includes displaying, ordering information for a fixed plurality of items that include a respective user interface (UI) object for each item. The fixed plurality of items are associated with a first time period that spans a start date and an end date for indicating an interest level in items of the fixed plurality of items. The respective UI objects includes a visual representation of an aggregate interest level for each item during the first time period as compared to a threshold interest level for each item. While displaying the respective UI objects, the method includes receiving a first indication that a second user is modifying ordering information for a first item and updating a first UI object for the first item to indicate that the second user is modifying ordering information for the first item.

RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/216,917, filed Dec. 11, 2018, entitled “Systems and Methods forEfficiently Managing Print Procurement Orders Using an Available-GroupsUser Interface that is Updated to Reflect Changes to Item-SpecificInterest Levels in Each Available Group,” which is a continuation ofU.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/493,483, filed on Apr. 21, 2017,entitled “Systems and Methods for Efficiently Managing Print ProcurementOrders Based on Item-Specific Interest Levels and Supplier-InfluencedThresholds,” which claims priority to U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 62/325,952, filed Apr. 21, 2016, entitled “Systems andMethods for Efficiently Managing Print Procurement Orders Based onItem-Specific Interest Levels and Supplier-Influenced Thresholds,” eachof which is herein fully incorporated by reference in its respectiveentirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The disclosed embodiments relate generally to managing print procurementsystems and, in particular, to efficiently managing print procurementorders based on item-specific interest levels and supplier-influencedthresholds.

BACKGROUND

Some print procurement systems allow suppliers of printing services toconnect with consumers of printing services. Some print procurementsystems allow the consumers (or an entity working on their behalf) toprovide detailed specifications related to a printing job. Thesedetailed specifications are then used by some print procurement systemsto match the printing job with a supplier that is capable of fulfillingthe printing job.

In certain circumstances, consumers of printing services withinmultinational organizations place similar orders at different times. Forexample, a first group within the multinational organization places anorder for a particular poster and a second group within the samemultinational organization places an order for the same particularposter at a later date (e.g., two months later). In some cases, becausethe first and second groups are located on different continents and/orbecause the orders are placed on different dates, combining the ordersis not feasible. There is a need, therefore, for print procurementsystems that allow for assessing interest levels for particular itemsacross a large organization, in order to efficiently and easily allowfor combining orders.

SUMMARY

Without limiting the scope of the appended claims, after consideringthis disclosure, and particularly after considering the section entitled“Description of Embodiments,” one will understand how the aspects ofvarious embodiments are implemented and used to address the abovedeficiencies and other problems associated with print procurementsystems.

Some embodiments efficiently manage print procurement orders based onitem-specific interest levels and supplier-influenced thresholds. Insome embodiments, an electronic device (e.g., a user computing device102, FIG. 1) receives, from a user of the electronic device, a requestto view ordering information for a fixed plurality of physical items(also referred to herein as a “buy group”) that are associated with afirst time period (e.g., a start date and an end date for indicating aninterest in one or more items of the fixed plurality of physical itemsof the buy group). In response to receiving the request, the electronicdevice displays on a display that is in communication with theelectronic device a respective user interface object for each physicalitem of the fixed plurality of physical items. A first user interfaceobject for a first physical item includes a visual representation of anaggregate interest level (also referred to herein as an “item-specificinterest level”) for the first physical item during the first timeperiod as compared to a threshold interest level for the first physicalitem, and the aggregate interest level reflects a quantity of the firstphysical item requested by the user and at least one other user. Whiledisplaying the respective user interface objects for each physical itemof the fixed plurality of physical items, the electronic device receivesan indication that the threshold interest level for the first physicalitem has been satisfied. In accordance with receiving the indication,the electronic device updates the first user interface object toindicate that a threshold-specific price has been secured for the firstphysical item. In this way, a print procurement system is able to assessinterest levels in items that are part of a buy group, in order to alloworganizations to place efficient orders (e.g., in order to takeadvantage of ordering thresholds required by suppliers to achieve lowerprice points for each item in the buy group).

Thus, disclosed embodiments herein make the exceedingly difficult taskof assessing interest levels across large, multinational organizationsfor print procurement items straightforward and, thereby, allow forefficiently placed orders that take advantage of time-sensitive andthreshold-specific sales for particular print procurement items (basedon current offers from suppliers in the print procurement system). Usersof print procurement systems are able to rely on the disclosedembodiments to determine when to place orders for particular items inorder to take advantage of the current offers and based on what otherusers within a particular organization are currently ordering. Thisenables users to make better, well-informed, and cost-effective businessdecisions concerning print procurement items.

(A1) More specifically, some embodiments include a method that isperformed at an electronic device (e.g., one or more of the usercomputing devices 102, FIG. 1) with one or more processors and memory.The electronic device may include a display (e.g., such as atouch-sensitive display) and/or may be in communication with a display(e.g., an external monitor). The method includes: receiving, from a userof the electronic device, a request to view ordering information for afixed plurality of physical items that are associated with a first timeperiod. In response to receiving the request, the method includes:displaying on the display a respective user interface object for eachphysical item of the fixed plurality of physical items. A first userinterface object for a first physical item includes a visualrepresentation of an aggregate interest level for the first physicalitem during the first time period as compared to a threshold interestlevel for the first physical item (e.g., a progress bar like the onesshown in FIG. 8C-8G, 8J, 8L-8O for each respective physical item,showing how close a respective interest level is to reaching arespective threshold interest level for each respective physical item),and the aggregate interest level reflects a quantity of the firstphysical item requested by the user and at least one other user (i.e.,the aggregate interest level reflects a total quantity that anorganization, including each of the users purchasing products for thatorganization, is interested in obtaining). While displaying therespective user interface objects for each physical item of the fixedplurality of physical items, the method includes: receiving anindication (e.g., from a server system, such as print procurementservers 106, FIG. 1) that the threshold interest level for the firstphysical item has been satisfied. In accordance with receiving theindication, the method includes: updating the first user interfaceobject to indicate that a threshold-specific price has been secured forthe first physical item.

(A2) In some embodiments of the method of A1, the fixed plurality ofphysical items is not editable by the user and the user cannot addphysical items to the fixed plurality.

(A3) In some embodiments of the method of any one of A1-A2, the user andthe at least one other user are each associated with distinct shippinglocations and the aggregate interest level reflects interest levelsacross one or more shipping locations, the one or more shippinglocations including the distinct shipping locations.

(A4) In some embodiments of the method of A3, the one or more shippinglocations are locations to which the physical products are to beshipped.

(A5) In some embodiments of the method of A3, the first user interfaceobject for the first physical object includes a respective numericalvalue that reflects a respective interest level for at least two of theone or more shipping locations.

(A6) In some embodiments of the method of A5, the method furtherincludes: receiving a request to view shipping locations in addition tothe at least two of the one or more shipping locations and, in response,updating the first user interface object to include a respectivenumerical value that reflects a respective interest level for anadditional shipping location of the one or more shipping locations.

(A7) In some embodiments of the method of any one of A1-A6, the visualrepresentation includes a progress bar and a textual description as towhether the threshold interest level has been met.

(A8) In some embodiments of the method of any one of A1-A7, the methodfurther includes: while displaying the respective user interface objectsfor each physical item of the fixed plurality of physical items,receiving an indication that a second user, distinct from the firstuser, is modifying ordering information for a respective physical item.In response to receiving the indication, the method includes: updating arespective user interface object for the respective physical item toindicate that the second user is modifying ordering information for therespective physical item. In some embodiments or circumstances, thisallows users to easily see what interest other users (e.g., thoselocated in disparate geographies) are expressing in particular physicalitems. Therefore, multinational companies that have disparately locatedgroups now have a single place where ordering details can beconsolidated, in order to achieve lower price per unit costs and alsoachieve consistency in materials utilized for various marketingcampaigns.

(A9) In some embodiments of the method of A8, the indication that thethreshold interest level for the first physical item has been satisfiedis received after the second user modifies the ordering information. Forexample, the second user indicates enough interest (additional quantityof the first physical item) to push the aggregate interest level abovethe threshold interest level.

(A10) In some embodiments of the method of any one of A1-A9, the methodfurther includes: detecting a selection of the first user interfaceobject. In response to detecting the selection, the method includes:displaying ordering information that is specific to the first physicalobject, including displaying a new representation of the currentinterest level for the first physical object during the first timeperiod as compared to the threshold interest level for the firstphysical item.

(A11) In some embodiments of the method of any one of A1-A10, the useris associated with a buy group that includes the fixed plurality ofphysical items.

(A12) In some embodiments of the method of any one of A1-A11, the fixedplurality of physical items is associated with a first buy group that iscreated by an administrator using a bulk upload process for at least twobuy groups, the at least two buy groups including the first buy group.For example, the administrator creates each buy group using Excel (e.g.,an Excel sheet such as the one shown on FIG. 10D) and imports them intothe print procurement system using the interface shown in FIG. 10C. Insome embodiments, catalogs of items for each of the buy groups can alsobe imported into the system easily using an Excel file (see, e.g., FIG.10E).

(A13) In some embodiments of the method of any one of A1-A12, the firsttime period and the fixed plurality of physical items were both selectedby an administrator before the electronic device receives the request toview the ordering information. For example, the administrator interactswith the user interface shown on FIG. 10I in order to configure specificdetails and parameters for the fixed plurality of physical items.

(A14) In some embodiments of the method of A13, a respective thresholdinterest level for each physical item was also selected by theadministrator before receiving the request.

(A15) In some embodiments of the method of A14, the respective thresholdinterest level is associated with a current supplier-provided sale pricefor a respective physical item.

(A16) In some embodiments of the method of A14, the fixed plurality ofphysical items were selected by the administrator using an importedfile. In some embodiments, user interface similar to the one shown inFIG. 10C is utilized and the administrator imports a “.xlsx” file thatincludes details regarding the fixed plurality of physical items (e.g.,such as the excel sheet shown in FIG. 10E). In some embodiments, theadministrator simply selects an identifier for a particular catalog oftimes (see, e.g., FIG. 10D.

(A17) In some embodiments of the method of any one of A1-A16, the methodfurther includes: after the first time period has expired, receiving anew request to export ordering information associated with the fixedplurality of physical items in a particular format. In response toreceiving the new request, the method includes: providing the orderinginformation in the particular format. For example, as shown in FIGS.9A-9D, ordering information for a closed buy group named “Third BuyGroup” can be exported for viewing in Excel.

(A18) In some embodiments, a non-transitory computer-readable storagemedium stores executable instructions that, when executed by anelectronic device that is in communication with a display, cause theelectronic device to perform the method described in any one of A1-A17above.

(A19) In some embodiments, an electronic device with a display, one ormore processors, and memory is provided. The memory stores one or moreprograms which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause theelectronic device to perform the method of any one of A1-A17.

(A20) In some embodiments, a graphical user interface on an electronicdevice with a display is provided. The graphical user interface includesuser interfaces displayed, on the display of the electronic device, inaccordance with the method described in any one of A1-A17 above.

(A21) In some embodiments, a system that includes one or more processorsand memory is provided. The memory of the server system stores one ormore programs which, when executed by the one or more processors of theserver system, cause the server system to: receive, from anadministrator, selections of physical items for inclusion in a fixedplurality of physical items, wherein each physical item of the fixedplurality of physical items is associated with a threshold interestlevel; monitor, for each physical item of the plurality of physicalitems, respective aggregate interest levels that reflect a quantity of arespective physical item requested by two or more disparately locatedusers associated with distinct shipping locations; while monitoring therespective aggregate interest levels, detect a change in a firstaggregate interest level for a first physical item of the fixedplurality of physical items, wherein the change is initiated by a userof an electronic device that is distinct from the server system; inresponse to detecting the change in the first aggregate interest levelfor the first physical item, determine whether the first aggregateinterest level satisfies a respective threshold interest level that isassociated with the first physical item; and in accordance with adetermination that the first aggregate interest level satisfies arespective threshold interest level that is associated with the firstphysical item, send, to at least the electronic device, an indicationthat a threshold-specific price for the first physical item has beensecured.

(A22) In some embodiments, a non-transitory computer-readable storagemedium is provided. The non-transitory computer-readable storage mediumstores executable instructions which, when executed by one or moreprocessors of a server system, cause the server system to perform theoperations recited in A21.

In some embodiments, the server system of A21 and A22 is also configuredto perform server-side operations to enable the client-side operationsdescribed in A1-A20 above.

Thus methods, systems, electronic devices, and graphical user interfacesare provided that allow for easy and efficient management of printprocurement orders based on item-specific interest levels andsupplier-influenced thresholds in a print procurement system.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

So that the present disclosure can be understood in greater detail, amore particular description may be had by reference to the features ofvarious embodiments, some of which are illustrated in the appendeddrawings. The appended drawings, however, merely illustrate pertinentfeatures of the present disclosure and are therefore not to beconsidered limiting, for the description may admit to other effectivefeatures.

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary print procurement system, in accordancewith some embodiments.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a computing device, in accordance with someembodiments.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a print procurement server, in accordancewith some embodiments.

FIGS. 4A-4B are block diagrams illustrating data structures for storinginformation about fixed pluralities of physical items (also referred toherein as “buy groups”), in accordance with some embodiments.

FIGS. 5A-5B are block diagrams illustrating data structures for storingitem order details for particular buy groups, in accordance with someembodiments.

FIGS. 6A-6B are schematics of a display showing example user interfacesfor displaying and interacting with information about buy groups, inaccordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 6C is a schematic of a display illustrating an example userinterface for displaying and interacting with information about buygroups in an administrative user interface (or an administrativeapplication component of a print procurement system), in accordance withsome embodiments.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart representation of a method of efficiently managingbuy groups in a print procurement system, in accordance with someembodiments.

FIGS. 8A-8W are schematics of a display used to illustrate example userinterfaces for a method of efficiently managing print procurement ordersbased on item-specific interest levels and supplier-influencethresholds, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIGS. 9A-9D are schematics of a display used to illustrate example userinterfaces for viewing information associated with closed buy groups(i.e., buy groups for which an associated time period has expired and,thus, the buy group is now closed), in accordance with some embodiments.

FIGS. 10A-10I are schematics of a display used to illustrate exampleuser interfaces for setting up and configuring a buy group via anadministrator's component of a print procurement system, in accordancewith some embodiments.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart representation of a method of efficientlymanaging buy groups in a print procurement system, in accordance withsome embodiments.

Some of the user interfaces of FIGS. 8A-8W, 9A-9D, and 10A-10I are usedto illustrate and explain the processes or operations of FIGS. 7 and 11.Some embodiments combine, exchange, and/or reorder some of the processesor operations in FIGS. 7 and 11.

In accordance with common practice, the various features illustrated inthe drawings may not be drawn to scale. Accordingly, the dimensions ofthe various features may be arbitrarily expanded or reduced for clarity.In addition, some of the drawings may not depict all of the componentsof a given system, method or device. Finally, like reference numeralsmay be used to denote like features throughout the specification andfigures.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Disclosed embodiments make the potentially complex process of generatingbaseline candidates into a straightforward and intuitive process.Therefore, users are able to use the disclosed embodiments to locatebetter baseline candidates. This results in better, more meaningful,more detailed, and more accurate print procurement systems, which can beused to make better and more informed business decisions.

FIG. 1 illustrates a print procurement system 100 in which someembodiments operate. One or more users each interact with one or moreuser computing devices 102 (also referred to as computing device 102 anddevice 102), such as a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a tabletcomputer, a tablet, a mobile computing device, a mobile phone, or avirtual machine running on such a device. An example computing device102-1 is described below with respect to FIG. 2, including varioussoftware programs or modules that execute on the computing device 102-1.In some embodiments, the computing device 102-1 includes a web browser220 (FIG. 2) that is capable of executing a print procurement webapplication 222 (FIG. 2), a print procurement application 224 (FIG. 2),a buy group management module 226, and a buy group data fetching module228 that the computing device 102-1 (or an application installed thereonsuch as print procurement application 224) uses to efficiently manageprint procurement orders based on item-specific interest levels andsupplier-influenced thresholds.

In some embodiments of the print procurement system 100, the usercomputing devices 102 communicate with the one or more print procurementservers 106 over one or more networks 104. The one or more networks(e.g., network(s) 104) communicably connect each component of the printprocurement system 100 with other components of the print procurementsystem 100. In some embodiments, the one or more networks 104 includepublic communication networks, private communication networks, or acombination of both public and private communication networks. Forexample, the one or more networks 104 can be any network (or combinationof networks) such as the Internet, other wide area networks (WAN), localarea networks (LAN), virtual private networks (VPN), metropolitan areanetworks (MAN), peer-to-peer networks, and/or ad-hoc connections.

An exemplary print procurement server 106-1 (also referred to herein asa server 106-1) is described in more detail with respect to FIG. 3. Asmentioned above, some embodiments provide a print procurement webapplication 222 (FIG. 2) that runs wholly or partially within a webbrowser 220 (FIG. 2) on the computing devices 102. In some embodiments,print procurement functionality is provided by both a local printprocurement application 224 and certain functions are provided bycommunicating with the one or more servers 106 over the one or morenetworks 104. For example, the one or more servers 106 may be used forresource-intensive operations.

In some embodiments, the computing devices 102 connect to one or moreremotely located print procurement servers 106 through communicationnetwork(s) 104. In this way, some print procurement operations can beperformed remotely and computing resources at the computing devices 102can be preserved for other operations. For example, operations requiringinput from a user are performed at the computing devices 102 (e.g., theuser interacts with one or more user interfaces provided on thecomputing devices 102 (such as the user interfaces shown in FIGS. 6A-6B,8A-8W, and 9A-9D) and information identifying user input and userinteractions at the user interfaces are sent to the remotely locatedprint procurement servers 106 for storage and/or further processing).

The one or more print procurement servers 106, in some embodiments,include a buy group management module 110 that monitors respectiveitem-specific interest levels for each physical item in a buy group ascompared to a respective threshold interest level for each physicalitem. For example, as users of various computing devices 102 (e.g., eachuser is a buyer for a larger multinational organization with offices allover the world) indicate that they are interested in a particularphysical item, their interests can be communicated to the one or moreprint procurement servers 106 through the communication network(s) 104for processing by the buy group management module 110 (i.e., foridentifying whether an aggregate interest level for that particularphysical item has now exceeded a threshold interest level for thatparticular physical item). In some embodiments or circumstances, sendingand processing data at the one or more print procurement servers 106preserves computing resources at the computing devices 102 (i.e.,because the servers 106 perform the data-intensive operations, such asscanning through large volumes of information in order to properlyprocess and compare aggregate interest levels to established threshold,computing resources at the computing devices 102 are preserved forrendering user interfaces and for sending/receiving data to/from theservers 106).

In some embodiments, an allocation of operations between the computingdevices 102 and the servers 106 is determined in accordance withbandwidth limitations at the computing devices 102. For example, bymonitoring a history of bandwidth usage against available bandwidth at arespective computing device 102, a baseline measurement for bandwidthrequirements at the respective computing device 102 can be established(e.g., if after observing/monitoring bandwidth usage for a predefinedperiod of time (e.g., 2 days), bandwidth usage averages 100 MB per hour,then 100 MB hour can be established as the baseline). By establishingthe baseline measurements for bandwidth usage, a determination can thenbe made to determine whether to perform a data-intensive operation atthe computing device 102 or at one of the servers 106. For example, inaccordance with a determination that a first operation requires morethan a predefined percentage (e.g., 10%, 20%, or 30%) of the baselinebandwidth, then the first operation should be performed at one of theservers 106 and not at the computing device 102. In some embodiments,the baseline bandwidth is a baseline measured against bandwidth usageover 20 minutes, 45 minutes, 1.5 hours, 6 hours, or the like.

In some embodiments, the determination as to which device should performa particular operation is based on where data required by the particularoperation is stored. For example, if the particular operation requiresdata that is stored in a respective buy group database 108 (FIG. 1),then the particular operation can be performed more efficiently at oneof the servers 106, because the required data can bequeried/retrieved/processed locally and without having to sending thatdata back and forth using the networks 104, in order to communicate thatdata to one of the computing devices 102. In some embodiments, a portionof the data that may be stored at the buy group databases 108 can alsobe cached by a respective computing device 102 and the respectivecomputing device 102 can perform processing operations using the cacheddata and need only communicate with a respective server 106 in order toobtain additional data (i.e., data that was not cached).

In some embodiments, information about buy groups (e.g., buy groupnames, users associated with each buy group, time periods during whichbuy groups are active, physical item IDs for each buy group, andassociated shipping locations for each buy group, and the like) and itemorder details for each physical item within the buy groups (e.g., itemIDs, buy group IDs, thresholds for securing targeted sales prices,current interest levels across a plurality of shipping locations, andlast edited information for each physical item in each buy group) is/areall stored in the one or more buy group databases 108 for easy accessand storage.

In some embodiments, the print procurement system 100 is provided by aprint procurement service provider. The print procurement serviceprovider connects entities requiring print jobs to create/purchaseprinted materials (e.g., banners, posters, business cards, etc.) withsuppliers capable of fulfilling the print jobs. In some embodiments,print jobs each include one or more items (i.e., items of printedmaterial). In some embodiments, the entities requiring the print jobsrely on the print procurement service provider to locate suppliers ontheir behalf. Typically, the print procurement service provider assignsa print procurement manager (“PPM”) to the entity and the PPM isresponsible for interacting with the print procurement system 100 (e.g.,through the print procurement web application or print procurementapplication) to locate appropriate suppliers. In some embodiments, theentities requiring print jobs are referred to herein as clients of theprint procurement system or as clients of the print procurement serviceprovider. In some embodiments, a PPM or some other representative of theclient interacts with the print procurement application or the printprocurement web application. In some embodiments, each entity representsa single shipping location (e.g., a branch of a large organization) and,thus, a number of PPMs are associated with the large organization as awhole, even though each entity is only associated with one or two PPMsresponsible for helping to manage print procurement orders for thatentity.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating one of the computing devices 102(e.g., computing device 102-1) that a user uses to interact with alocally installed print procurement application (e.g., print procurementapplication 224) and/or to interact with a print procurement webapplication (e.g., print procurement web application 222) using a webbrowser (e.g., web browser 220), in accordance with some embodiments. Acomputing device 102-1 typically includes one or more processingunits/cores (CPUs/GPUs) 202 for executing modules, programs, and/orinstructions stored in the memory 214 and thereby performing processingoperations; one or more network or other communications interfaces 204;the memory 214; and one or more communication buses 212 forinterconnecting these components. The communication buses 212 mayinclude circuitry that interconnects and controls communications betweensystem components.

The computing device 102-1 also includes a user interface 206 thatincludes a display device 208 and one or more input devices ormechanisms 210. In some embodiments, the input device/mechanism 210includes a keyboard; in some embodiments, the input device/mechanismincludes a “soft” keyboard, which is displayed as needed (e.g., inresponse to a user tapping a user input element that requires input froma keyboard, the soft keyboard is displayed) on the display device 208,enabling a user to “press keys” that appear on the display 208. In someembodiments, the display 208 and input device/mechanism 210 comprise atouch-screen display (also called a touch-sensitive display). In otherembodiments, the display 208 and input device/mechanism 210 comprise aseparate monitor and a separate keyboard that are in communication withthe computing device 102-1.

In some embodiments, the computing device 102-1 has memory 214 thatincludes high-speed random access memory, such as DRAM, SRAM, DDR RAM,or other random access solid state memory devices. In some embodiments,the memory 214 includes non-volatile memory, such as one or moremagnetic disk storage devices, optical disk storage devices, flashmemory devices, or other non-volatile solid-state storage devices.Optionally, the memory 214 includes one or more storage devices remotelylocated from the CPU(s)/GPUs 202. The memory 214, or alternately thenon-volatile memory device(s) within the memory 214, comprises anon-transitory computer-readable storage medium. In some embodiments,the memory 214, or the non-transitory computer-readable storage mediumof the memory 214, stores the following programs, modules, and datastructures, or a subset thereof:

-   -   an operating system 216, which includes procedures for handling        various basic system services and for performing        hardware-dependent tasks;    -   a communications module 218, which is used for connecting the        computing device 102-1 to computers and devices via the one or        more communication interfaces 204 (wired or wireless) and one or        more communication networks 104 (FIG. 1), such as the Internet,        other wide area networks, local area networks, metropolitan area        networks, and so on;    -   a web browser 220 (or other client-side application capable of        displaying web pages), which enables a user to communicate over        a network with remote computers, servers, and/or devices. In        some embodiments, the web browser 220 executes a print        procurement web application 222 provided by one or more print        procurement servers 106 (e.g., by receiving information from the        server 104 as needed to fulfill requests to view information).        In some embodiments, a print procurement web application 222 is        in alternative to (or in addition to) storing a print        procurement application 224 locally on the computing device        102-1;    -   a print procurement application 224, which enables users to        interact with a print procurement system 100 (FIG. 1) such as by        navigating through web pages, inputting data into web pages, and        the like. In some embodiments, the print procurement application        224 retrieves information from one or more buy group databases        108 (FIG. 1) that are stored on one or more print procurement        server(s), then generates and displays the retrieved information        in user interfaces that allow the users to, for example, update        interest levels associated with physical items that are in a        particular buy group and view information related to whether a        current aggregate interest level for a respective physical item        has satisfied a threshold interest level that is associated with        the respective physical item (e.g., some example user interfaces        are shown in FIGS. 6A-6B and 8A-8W). In some instances, the        print procurement application 224 invokes other modules (either        on the computing device 102-1 or at one or more print        procurement servers 106), as described in more detail below. The        print procurement application 224 also includes one or more of        the following additional modules, or a subset or superset        thereof:        -   a buy group management module 226 for managing            item-specific/aggregate interest levels and threshold            interest levels for each physical item in a fixed            plurality/buy group of physical items; and/or        -   a buy group data fetching module 228 for retrieving            information from databases that are locally stored on the            device 102-1 or that are remotely located from the device            102-1 (e.g., from one or more buy group databases 108 on one            or more print procurements servers 106).

Each of the above identified executable modules, applications, or setsof procedures may be stored in one or more of the previously mentionedmemory devices, and corresponds to a set of instructions for performinga function described above. The above-identified modules or programs(i.e., sets of instructions) need not be implemented as separatesoftware programs, procedures, or modules, and thus various subsets ofthese modules may be combined or otherwise rearranged in variousembodiments. In some embodiments, the memory 214 may store a subset ofthe modules and data structures identified above. Furthermore, thememory 214 may store additional modules or data structures not describedabove. In some embodiments, the programs, modules, and data structuresstored in the memory 214, or the non-transitory computer-readablestorage medium of the memory 214, provide instructions for implementingsome of the methods described below.

Although FIG. 2 shows a computing device 102-1 in accordance with someembodiments, FIG. 2 is intended more as a functional description of thevarious features that may be present rather than as a structuralschematic of the embodiments described herein. In practice, and asrecognized by those of ordinary skill in the art, items shown separatelycould be combined and some items could be separated.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a print procurement server 106-1(e.g., one or more print procurement servers 106, FIG. 1), in accordancewith some embodiments. The print procurement server 106-1 may host oneor more buy group databases 108 and may provide various executableapplications or modules. A server 106-1 typically includes one or moreprocessing units (CPUs/GPUs) 302, one or more network interfaces 304, amemory 314, and one or more communication interface(s) 312 forinterconnecting these components. In some embodiments, the server 106-1optionally includes a user interface 306, which includes a displaydevice 308 and one or more input devices 310, such as a keyboard and amouse. In some embodiments, the server 106-1 is in communication withthe user interface 306 (e.g., the display device 308 is a separatemonitor that is coupled with the server 106-1).

The memory 314 includes high-speed random access memory, such as DRAM,SRAM, DDR RAM, or other random access solid state memory devices, andmay include non-volatile memory, such as one or more magnetic diskstorage devices, optical disk storage devices, flash memory devices, orother non-volatile solid state storage devices. In some embodiments, thememory 314 includes one or more storage devices remotely located fromthe CPU(s)/GPUs 302. The memory 314, or alternately the non-volatilememory device(s) within the memory 314, includes a non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium. In some embodiments, the memory 314 orthe non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of the memory 314stores the following programs, modules, and data structures, or a subsetthereof:

-   -   an operating system 316, which includes procedures for handling        various basic system services and for performing hardware        dependent tasks;    -   a network communications module 318, which is used for        connecting the server 106-1 to other computers via the one or        more communication interfaces 304 (wired or wireless) and one or        more communication networks 104 (FIG. 1), such as the Internet,        other wide area networks, local area networks, metropolitan area        networks, and so on;    -   a print procurement web application 222 (or information about        the print procurement application), which may be downloaded and        executed by a web browser 220 (FIG. 2) on a user's computing        device 102. In some embodiments, the print procurement web        application 222 allows the server 106-1 to serve information        related to the print procurement system 100 to one or more user        computing devices 102 (FIG. 1);    -   a buy group management module 110 for managing        item-specific/aggregate interest levels and threshold interest        levels for each physical item in a fixed plurality/buy group of        physical items;    -   one or more buy group databases 108 for storing information        about physical items (e.g., expressed interest levels relative        to established threshold for each physical item) associated with        buy groups. In some embodiments, the one or more print job        databases 108 include one or more of the following additional        modules, or a subset or superset thereof:        -   information about buy groups 322, such as users associated            with each buy group, time periods during which the buy            groups are active (and, after which, the buy groups expire            such that no users can express interest in a physical item            in an expired buy group), IDs identifying physical items            that are associated with the buy groups, and IDs identifying            shipping locations that are associated with the buy groups            (e.g., locations to which the physical items are to be            shipping), and the like, and as discussed in more detail            below in reference to FIGS. 4A-4B; and        -   information about item order details 324 associated with            each physical item in the buy groups, as discussed in more            detail below in reference to FIGS. 5A-5B.

Each of the above-identified executable modules, applications, or setsof procedures may be stored in one or more of the previously mentionedmemory devices, and corresponds to a set of instructions for performinga function described above. The above-identified modules or programs(i.e., sets of instructions) need not be implemented as separatesoftware programs, procedures, or modules, and thus various subsets ofthese modules may be combined or otherwise rearranged in variousembodiments. In some embodiments, the memory 314 may store a subset ofthe modules and data structures identified above. Furthermore, thememory 314 may store additional modules or data structures not describedabove. In some embodiments, the programs, modules, and data structuresstored in the memory 314, or the non-transitory computer-readablestorage medium of the memory 314, provide instructions for implementingsome of the methods described below.

In some embodiments, the server 106-1 and the components thereon (e.g.,buy group databases 108) are implemented using a customized version ofMICROSOFT Dynamics AX on the back-end of the system.

Although FIG. 3 shows a server 106-1 in accordance with someembodiments, FIG. 3 is intended more as a functional description of thevarious features that may be present rather than as a structuralschematic of the embodiments described herein. In practice, and asrecognized by those of ordinary skill in the art, items shown separatelycould be combined and some items could be separated. In addition, someof the programs, functions, procedures, or data shown above with respectto a server 106-1 may be stored on a computing device 102-1. In someembodiments, the functionality and/or data may be allocated between oneor more computing devices 102 and one or more servers 106 (as explainedin more detail above in reference to FIG. 1). Furthermore, one of skillin the art recognizes that FIG. 3 need not represent a single physicaldevice. In many embodiments, the server functionality is allocatedacross multiple physical devices that comprise a server system. As usedherein, references to a “server” or “print procurement server” includevarious groups, collections, or arrays of servers that provide thedescribed functionality, and the physical servers need not be physicallycollocated (e.g., the individual physical devices could be spreadthroughout the United States or throughout the world).

FIGS. 4A-4B are block diagrams illustrating data structures for storinginformation about buy groups, in accordance with some embodiments. Asshown in FIG. 4A, buy groups 322 (e.g., those that are included in thedatabases 108, FIG. 3) include a collection of data structures 322,optionally implemented as a collection of tables for each particularclient of a print procurement system 100, that each store informationabout buy groups associated with the particular client of the printprocurement system 100 (e.g., print job data structure 322-1 storesinformation about buy groups for client 1 of the print procurementsystem 100 and print job data structure 322-2 stores information aboutbuy groups for client 2 of the print procurement system 100). In someembodiments, each table (e.g., table 322-1, 322-2, 322-3 . . . 322-N) inthe collection of print job data structures stores information about buygroups for more than one client (e.g., print job data structure 322-1stores information about buy groups for client 1 and for client 3,because clients 1 and 3 often configure similar buy groups, makingstorage in a single table an efficient and memory-saving option).

In some embodiments, determining whether to store information about buygroups for more than one client or for a single client in a respectivetable 322 is determined when a new client begins using the printprocurement system. For example, the print procurement system scansthrough the buy group data structures 322 in order to determine whetherany related corporate entities, associated with the new client, arealready enrolled and using the print procurement system. In accordancewith a determination that a related corporate entity, associated withthe new client, is using the print procurement system, then a respectiveprint job data structure 322 associated with the related corporateentity is initialized/formatted to store information about buy groupsassociated with the new client in addition to the related corporateentity. In some embodiments, the new client, while enrolling to use theprint procurement system, provides information about related corporateentities and this information is used to efficiently scan through thebuy group data structures 322 (e.g., the scan only looks for informationabout related corporate entities matching those provided by the newclient).

In some embodiments, the clients are customers of the print procurementservice provider (discussed above in reference to FIG. 1). In someembodiments, the clients are each assigned to one or more printprocurement managers (“PPMs”) responsible for interacting with the printprocurement system and locating suppliers to fulfill print jobs onbehalf of their assigned clients.

In some embodiments, one or more buy group data structures 322 (e.g.,buy group data structure 322-1, FIG. 4B) are used for storinginformation about buy groups associated with a particular client of theprint procurement system 100. As illustrated in FIG. 4B, buy group datastructure 322-1 contains data (e.g., buy group ID, buy group name,associated user IDs, time period, associated item IDs, and associatedshipping location IDs) associated with buy groups for client 1. In someembodiments, the data is stored in individual records 410-1, 410-2,410-3, through 410-N. In some embodiments, a header field 410-0 is usedto describe each field of information associated with each of therespective records. Header 410-0, in some embodiments, contains a briefdescription of each field of information (e.g., each field associatedwith each of the records) stored within the table. As shown in FIG. 4B,header 410-0 indicates that each record 410-1, 410-2, 410-3, through410-N stores the following information and data structures, or a subsetor superset thereof:

-   -   a value for an “buy group ID” field that uniquely identifies        each buy group;    -   a value for a “buy group name” field that includes a description        of a respective buy group that was provided by a user (e.g., an        administrative user) during creation of the respective buy        group. In some embodiments, the buy group name is provided by        the administrative user during creation of the respective buy        group (e.g., while interactive with the user interface shown in        FIG. 10I to input details related to the respective buy group);    -   a value for an “associated user IDs” field that corresponds to a        list or set of user identifiers, each user identifier        identifying a user that is associated with the respective buy        group (e.g., each of the users is authorized by the        administrative user during creation of the respective buy group        to update/edit interest levels for each physical item in the buy        group for one or more shipping locations, such as, e.g., by        editing data included in the quantity fields for each of the        shipping locations shown in FIG. 8C);    -   a value for “time period” field that corresponds to a start date        and an end data defining a period of time during which the buy        group remains active (in other words, during this period of time        the authorized users are able to continue editing quantity        information for each physical item in the buy group, but they        can no longer edit this information after the period of time has        expired);    -   a value for an “associated item IDs” field that corresponds to a        list or set of identifiers for physical items that are each        associated with the respective buy group; and    -   a value for an “associated [shipping] location IDs” field that        corresponds to a list or set of identifiers for one or more        shipping locations that are each associated with the respective        buy group (in other words, these are shipping locations to which        physical products will be shipped after expiration of the time        period associated with the respective buy group, provided an        aggregate interest level for a respective physical item        satisfied a threshold interest level for that respective        physical item); and/or    -   In some embodiments, an optional value for a “print        specifications” field that includes a set of information        provided by the client (or by a PPM working on behalf of the        client) that describes the print requirements for a particular        physical item in the respective buy group. In some embodiments,        the set of information in the print specifications field        includes values for each of the following print specifications:        quantity, finished size, flat size, paper weight, paper type,        print colors, coating information, basic finishing information,        complex finishing information, packing information, delivery        information, proofing information, substrate selection        information, ink information, and kitting information. In other        embodiments, the set of information in the print specifications        field includes values for only one or more of the aforementioned        print specifications.

In some embodiments, buy group data structure 322-1 includes fields inaddition to the fields described above, such as a timestamp field thatidentifies when a respective buy group was created and/or stored in thetable 322-1 and/or a related field that includes one or more buy groupID values that correspond to buy group that are associated with asimilar grouping of physical items.

As shown in FIG. 4B, the buy group data structure 322-1 includes records410-1, 410-2, 410-3 through 410-N. As one example of the informationstored in an example record in the buy group data structure 322-1,record 410-1 stores a value of “1” in the buy group ID field, a value of“September Promo Items” in the buy group name field, a value of “{user1,user2, user3}” in the associated user IDs field, a value of“09/09/15-03/04/16” in the time period field, a value of “{1, 4, 7, 11}”in the associated item IDs field, and a value of “{3, 4, 5}” in theassociated location IDs field.

Although illustrated as a particular implementation of a data structure(e.g., a table), the data structures of FIGS. 4A-4B, in someembodiments, are implemented in XML files, tables within a relationaldatabase, a document-oriented database, text files, and/or any othersuitable format for storing data. In some embodiments, the exact entriesin each of these fields that are stored in a back-end data structure maydiffer from the entries shown in FIGS. 4A-4B (e.g., the dates for thetime period field may be stored differently).

FIGS. 5A-5B are block diagrams illustrating data structures for storinginformation about item order details for physical items (e.g.,quantities requested by various users that are associated with distinctshipping locations) that are associated with buy groups, in accordancewith some embodiments. As shown in FIG. 5A, item order details datastructures 324 include a collection of data structures 324, optionallyimplemented as a collection of tables for each particular client of theprint procurement system 100, that each store item order detailsassociated with one or more buy groups for a particular client of theprint procurement system 100 (e.g., item order details data structure324-1 stores item order details for client 1's buy groups and item orderdetails data structure 324-2 stores item order details for client 2'sbuy groups). In some embodiments, each table (e.g., table 324-1, 324-2,324-3 . . . 324-N) in the collection of item order details datastructures stores item order details for buy groups associated with morethan one client of the print procurement system.

In some embodiments, one or more item order details data structures 324(e.g., item order details data structure 324-1, FIG. 5B) is/are used forstoring item order details associated with one or more buy groups for aclient of the print procurement system 100. As illustrated in FIG. 5B,item order details data structure 324-1 contains data (e.g., item ID,buy group ID, threshold interest, current interest levels, and lastedited by) associated with each physical item in a particular buy group.In some embodiments, the data is used to monitor current interest levelsas compared to a threshold interest, in order to facilitate easyordering across remotely located shipping locations and users, and alsoto help ensure that a lowest possible price can be obtained byencouraging some users to express interest in a physical item if acurrent interest level for the physical item is close to cross itsassociated threshold interest level (e.g., as discussed below inreference to FIGS. 8A-8W, user interfaces are presented to dynamicallyupdate current interest levels, thus encouraging some users to indicatean interest (or express additional interest) as the current interestlevel changes). In some embodiments, the data is stored in individualrecords 510-1, 510-2 through 510-N. In some embodiments, a header field510-0 is used to describe each field of information associated with eachof the respective records. Header 510-0, in some embodiments, contains abrief description of each field of information (e.g., each fieldassociated with each of the records) stored within the table. As shownin FIG. 5B, header 510-0 indicates that each record 510-1, 510-2 through510-N stores the following information and data structures, or a subsetor superset thereof:

-   -   a value for an “item ID” field that uniquely identifies each        physical item;    -   a value for a “buy group ID” field that identifies a buy group        to which a physical item is associated (e.g., corresponding to        buy group IDs stored in a respective buy group data structure        322, such as buy group data structure 322-1 shown in FIGS.        4A-4B). In some embodiments, each buy group is associated with        one or more physical items and, thus, multiple records within a        respective item order details data structure 324 are associated        with a particular buy group (i.e., one record for each physical        item within a respective buy group);    -   a value for “threshold interest [level]” field that specifies an        interest level (e.g., quantity) in a particular physical item        that must be expressed within a particular buy group before a        price that is associated with that threshold interest level is        secured. For example, if a supplier has a time-sensitive price        structure in which a discounted price of $10/item can be secured        provided that 1000 items are ordered, then an administrator that        is creating a particular buy group (e.g., using the user        interface shown in FIG. 10I) might set the threshold level for        this item at 1000;    -   a value for a “current interest levels” field that specifies a        set of interest levels in a particular item for each shipping        location that is associated with a buy group. In some        embodiments, the value may also indicate an identifier for a        user that expressed the interest level for each shipping        location (e.g., in addition to “location1:100,” the value might        also include user8 to indicate that user8 indicated that        location1 is interested in a quantity of 100); and    -   a value for a “last edited by” field that specifies an        identifier for a user that last updated information for a        particular physical item (e.g., a user that last modified a        current level of interest).

In some embodiments, item order details data structure 324-1 includesfields in addition to the fields described above, such as a “created by”field that includes information identifying an administrator that addeda particular physical item to a buy group (thus creating a new record inthe data structure 324-1) and/or a supplier assigned field thatindicates whether a particular physical item has beenassigned/associated with a capable supplier (i.e., a supplier withappropriate printing equipment to produce the physical item inaccordance with provided print specifications that are associated withthe physical item).

As shown in FIG. 5B, the item order details data structure 324-1includes records 510-1, 510-2 through 510-N. As one example of theinformation stored in an example record in the item order details datastructure 324-1, record 510-1 stores a value of “1” in the item IDfield, a value of “1” in the buy group ID field, a value of “300” in thethreshold interest [level] field, a value of “{location1:100,location2:100, location3:100}” in the current interest levels field, anda value of “user1” in the last edited by field.

Although illustrated as a particular implementation of a data structure(e.g., a table), the data structures of FIGS. 5A-5B, in someembodiments, are implemented in XML files, tables within a relationaldatabase, text files, and/or any other suitable format for storing data.

Turning now to FIGS. 6A-6B, schematics of a display are shown and areused to illustrate user interfaces for displaying and interacting withinformation about buy groups (e.g., respective item-specific interestlevels as compared to respective threshold interest levels), inaccordance with some embodiments. For ease of reference, the userinterfaces discussed below are described as displayed within a webbrowser but, in other embodiments, the user interfaces may be displayedwithin a locally-installed application, such as a mobile phone/device ordesktop application (e.g., print procurement application 224). The userinterfaces described in reference to FIGS. 6A-6B are merely examples andadditional user interfaces for print procurement applications are alsoshown in FIGS. 8A-8W and FIGS. 9A-9D (as discussed in more detail below)and may be used to perform some of the functions described with respectto the user interfaces in FIGS. 6A-6B.

As shown in FIG. 6A, a web browser (e.g., web browser 220, FIG. 2) of auser computing device (e.g., user computing device 102-1) is used torender information received from a server (e.g., one or more printprocurement servers 106, FIG. 1) in order to display a print procurementweb application (e.g., print procurement web application 222, FIG. 2).In some embodiments, the print procurement web application 222 displaysinformation about buy groups that is retrieved from one or more servers106 (FIGS. 1 and 3) and the displayed information includes userinterface region 612. In some embodiments and as shown in FIG. 6A, theuser interface region 612 includes ordering information across multipleshipping locations for one or more physical items that are part of oneor more buy groups (e.g., item ID 5 of print job 4). In someembodiments, the user interface region 612 includes a preview of theitem (e.g., the item 1 preview as shown in FIG. 6A), current interestlevels across each shipping location that is associated with the buygroup, and the subtotal of interest levels across all shippinglocations. In some embodiments, a row of information associated with aparticular physical item in the buy group is referred to herein as auser interface object for that particular physical item (e.g., a firstuser interface element for item 1 includes the current interest levelsacross each shipping location and the subtotal interest level. In someembodiments, the subtotal and current interest levels also displaypricing information that is available provided the subtotal/aggregateinterest level satisfies a threshold interest level for the particularphysical item.

To provide users with a clear indication as to how close an aggregateinterest level is to satisfying the threshold interest level, a visualrepresentation (such as a progress bar 608 and a textual description 610as to whether the threshold has been met) is also provided. For example,progress bar 608 indicates that the aggregate interest level of item 1is about halfway toward satisfying the threshold interest level andtextual description 610 indicates that the threshold for securing a$30/unit price has not yet been met. In some embodiments (as explainedin more detail below in reference to FIG. 7 and FIGS. 8A-8W), the visualrepresentations for each physical item in the buy group are dynamicallyupdated as remotely located users continue to modify the currentinterest levels for each of the shipping locations. In this way, eachuser is constantly reminded as to how close the buy group is toachieving a particular threshold-specific price for one of the buygroup's physical items.

In some embodiments, each user interface object for each physical itemis selectable, so that users can view item-specific information, insteadof a detailed overview page for the entire buy group. For example, inresponse to detecting user input at the item 1 preview (e.g., inresponse to detecting user input 604, FIG. 6A), a new item-specific pageis displayed to the user. In some embodiments, in response to detectingthe user input 604, the print procurement web application 222 is updated(e.g., by receiving data from one of the print procurement servers 106)to display a user interface similar to the one shown in FIG. 6B(additional examples of item-specific detail pages are provided in FIGS.8H, 8I, and 8K).

As shown in FIG. 6B, an item-specific detail page for a particularphysical item in the buy group includes product details for theparticular physical item, a preview of the item, and a new visualrepresentation of whether a current aggregate interest level for theparticular physical product has satisfied a threshold interest level forthe particular physical product (e.g., visual representation 620,including a progress bar and a textual description).

Additional details regarding the user interfaces shown in FIGS. 6A-6Bare provided below in reference to FIGS. 8A-8W. In some embodiments, thevisual characteristics of the user interfaces shown in FIGS. 6A-6Cinclude one or more visual characteristics of the user interfaces shownin FIGS. 8A-8W.

Turning now to FIG. 6C, a schematic of a display used to illustrate anexample user interface for an administrative application within a printprocurement system is shown. In some embodiments, the display of FIG. 6C(and a device, such as a mobile device associated with the display) isused to render a number of pages associated with the administrativeapplication (such as the user interfaces shown in FIGS. 10A-10I). Insome embodiments, the administrative application is accessed by anadministrator and allows the administrator to create/configure buygroups, assign users and shipping locations to buy groups, configurethreshold interest levels for physical items within buy groups based oninformation about current promotions/special pricing options fromsuppliers of the physical items, etc.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart depicting a method 700 of a method of efficientlymanaging buy groups in a print procurement system, in accordance withsome embodiments. FIGS. 8A-8W and FIGS. 9A-9D are used to illustrate themethods and/or processes of FIG. 7. In some embodiments, each of theuser interfaces presented in FIGS. 8A-8W and FIGS. 9A-9D are presentedon a display of a computing device (e.g., display 208 of user computingdevice 102-1, as pictured for the user interfaces shown in FIGS. 6A-6C).Although some of the examples which follow will be given with referenceto inputs on a touch-sensitive display (e.g., of a mobile phone or atablet device, in which a touch-sensitive surface and a display arecombined), in some embodiments, the device detects inputs on atouch-sensitive surface that is separate from the display 208 (e.g., adesktop or a laptop computing device).

In some embodiments, the method 700 is performed by an electronic device(e.g., computing device 102-1, FIG. 2) and/or one or more components ofthe electronic device. In some embodiments, the method 700 is governedby instructions that are stored in a non-transitory computer-readablestorage medium and that are executed by one or more processors of adevice, such as the one or more processors 202 of device 102-1 (FIG. 2).For ease of explanation, the following describes method 700 as performedby the device 102-1. In some embodiments, with reference to FIG. 2, theoperations of method 700 are performed by or use, at least in part, aweb browser (e.g., web browser 220), a print procurement web application(e.g., print procurement web application 222), a print procurementapplication (e.g., print procurement application 224), a buy groupmanagement module (e.g., buy group management module 226), a buy groupdata fetching module (e.g., buy group data fetching module 228), and/ora display (e.g., display 208). Some operations in method 700 are,optionally, combined and/or the order of some operations is, optionally,changed (e.g., by combining and or replacing some operations with thosediscussed below in reference to method 1100 of FIG. 11).

As described below, the method 700 provides a fast, intuitive,easy-to-use, and robust way to manage buy groups (and, in particular,ensures that remotely located shipping locations are able tocollectively take advantage of threshold-specific pricing options in aprint procurement system (in some embodiments, no one shipping locationwould be able to satisfy the threshold alone)). Furthermore, managingbuy groups in this way in print procurement systems allows users tocreate more sophisticated and efficient marketing campaigns acrossremotely located offices, thereby allowing users to make better-informedand cost-saving business decisions.

Referring now to FIG. 7, a print procurement application (e.g.,executing locally on a computing device 102 or executing through aclient-server or web-based architecture by sending information betweenthe computing device 102 and a server 106, FIG. 1) receives a requestfrom a user to navigate to a purchasing manager application within theprint procurement application (e.g., by receiving user input 802 over anaffordance for the purchasing manager application, as shown in the printprocurement sub-system selection interface 800 in FIG. 8A). In responseto receiving the user input 802, the computing device displaysidentifiers for buy groups that are associated with the user (i.e., buygroups for which an administrator has given the user access to). Forexample, as shown in the select buy group user interface 801 in FIG. 8B,identifiers for two distinct buy groups are shown, “First Buy Group” and“Second Buy Group.” In some embodiments, the select buy group userinterface 801 includes information identifying a number of users forthat buy group that are currently online (e.g., ⅙ users are currentlyonline for “First Buy Group” and 0/1 users are currently online for“Second Buy Group,” FIG. 8B). By displaying the information identifyingthe number of users that are currently online, the user may be motivatedto view ordering information for an active buy group (i.e., a buy groupthat has many users online simultaneously).

The computing device then receives (702), from a user of the computingdevice, a request to view ordering information for a fixed plurality ofphysical items that are associated with a first time period (e.g., thefirst time period is a period of time during which the fixed pluralityof physical items is available to associated users). For example, therequest corresponds to user input 804 near an identifier for aparticular buy group (as shown in FIG. 8B). In some embodiments, thefixed plurality of physical items is not editable (704) by the user andthe user cannot add (or remove) physical items to/from the fixedplurality. Stated another way, the fixed plurality of physical items isa predefined catalog of physical items that cannot be modified by theuser. In this way, an administrator is able to ensure that physicalitems that are part of particular buy groups remain fixed (as explainedbelow, the administrator configures the buy group before method 700begins, using user interfaces similar to those described below inreference to FIGS. 10A-10I). In some embodiments, the fixed plurality ofphysical items is a buy group (704).

In response to receiving the request, the computing device displays(706) on the display a respective user interface object for eachphysical item of the fixed plurality of physical items (e.g., a row ofordering information for each physical item, such as user interfaceobject 806 that includes a row of ordering information for a firstphysical item in the fixed plurality of physical items, as shown in FIG.8C). In some embodiments, the respective user interface objects aredisplayed in a buy group summary user interface, such as buy groupsummary user interface 803 shown in FIG. 8C. In some embodiments, thebuy group summary user interface 803 also includes a search by interfacefor filtering the fixed plurality of physical items according to one ormore criteria and includes information about users associated with thebuy group (such as 810, which is currently hidden, but may be expandedto show details regarding each user associated with the buy group, asexplained below in reference to FIGS. 8L-8O).

As noted above, in some embodiments, each user interface object in thebuy group summary user interface 803 includes ordering information for arespective physical item in the fixed plurality of physical items. Forexample, user interface object 806 includes a first user interfaceelement 806-1 that includes a description of a first physical item inthe fixed plurality of physical items and also includes a target pricefor the first physical item (e.g., USD $30.00) that is secured if thebuy group is able to meet a threshold interest level for the firstphysical item (i.e., if the buy group's users indicate that they have aninterest in a quantity of the first physical item that is greater thanor equal to the threshold interest level, then the threshold interestlevel is met/satisfied). In some embodiments, the first user interfaceelement 806-1 also includes a threshold progress indicator 812-1 thatprovides a visual representation of an aggregate interest level for thefirst physical item as compared to the threshold interest level for thefirst physical item (e.g., the threshold progress indicator 812-1 inFIG. 8C shows that the aggregate interest level is currently 0 and,thus, no progress has been made toward satisfying the threshold interestlevel).

In some embodiments, a first user interface object (e.g., 806, FIG. 8C)for a first physical item includes a visual representation of anaggregate interest level for the first physical item during the firsttime period as compared to a threshold interest level for the firstphysical item (e.g., threshold progress indicator 812-1), and theaggregate interest level reflects a quantity of the first physical itemrequested by the user and at least one other user (708). In someembodiments, the aggregate interest level reflects a quantity requestedby all users associated with the buy group. In some embodiments, thevisual representation includes (712) a progress bar (e.g., thresholdprogress indicator 812-1, FIG. 8C) and a textual description as towhether the threshold interest level for the first physical item hasbeen met (e.g., threshold progress indicator 812-2, FIG. 8D). In someembodiments, the textual description is displayed in response to userinput that modifies a respective current interest level at one of theshipping locations for the buy group (e.g., in response to user input816 that updates a current interest level for a first shipping locationfrom 0 to 100, the textual description 812-2 is displayed, FIG. 8D).

In some embodiments, the user and the at least one other user are eachassociated (710) with distinct shipping locations and the aggregateinterest level reflects interest levels across one or more shippinglocations, the one or more shipping locations including the distinctshipping locations. For example, the user is associated with a firstshipping location of “600 West Chicago Avenue, Chicago” and the at leastone other user is associated with a second shipping location in Prague.In some embodiments, the user is associated with multiple shippinglocations (e.g., so that the user is able to edit interest levels foreach of those multiple shipping locations). As shown in FIG. 8C, userinterface elements are displayed that provide information regardingcurrent location-specific interest levels (e.g., 806-2 displays acurrent interest level for the first physical item by the first shippinglocation, 806-3 displays a current interest level for the first physicalitem by the second shipping location, 806-4 displays a current interestlevel for the first physical item by a third shipping location, etc.)and the aggregate interest level across all shipping locations (e.g., asshown by user interface element 806-5, FIG. 8C). In some embodiments,displaying the current interest levels includes displaying both aquantity that corresponds to each respective interest level and a totaldollar amount to purchase that quantity (i.e., each of the fields 806-2,806-3, and 806-4 includes respective numerical values that represent aquantity and a total dollar amount based on the current interest levelfor each respective shipping location, as shown in FIG. 8E). Forexample, the current interest level for the first shipping location(“600 West Chicago Avenue, Chicago”) is 100 and, as shown in FIG. 8E,field 806-2 includes a first numerical value that is representative of aquantity that corresponds to the current interest level for the firstlocation (e.g., “100”) and a second numerical value that isrepresentative of a total dollar amount that corresponds to an amountrequired to purchase the quantity (e.g., “$3000.00”, which may alsospecify a currency, such as “USD”).

FIG. 8C also shows that threshold progress indicators are shown for eachphysical item in the fixed plurality (e.g., threshold progress indicator814-1 is shown for a second physical item in the fixed plurality), thusproviding users with a clear indication as to how close each respectivephysical item is to its corresponding threshold interest level.

Turning now to FIGS. 8D-8G, a sequence of updated buy group summary userinterfaces 803 is shown as interest levels in the first physical itemfor the shipping locations are modified. As shown in FIG. 8D, inresponse to user input 816, the threshold progress indicator 812-1 isupdated to reflect progress toward satisfying the threshold interestlevel for the first physical item and threshold progress indicator 812-2is also displayed in response to the user input 816. In FIGS. 8E, 8F,and 8G, additional user inputs are received (e.g., user inputs 818, 820,822, respectively) and the threshold progress indicator 812-1 is updatedaccordingly. Additionally, as shown in FIG. 8G, in accordance with adetermination that the threshold interest level has been satisfied, thethreshold progress indicator 812-2 is updated to indicate clearly thatthe threshold has been met.

In some embodiments, the user inputs shown in FIGS. 8D-8G are receivedfrom different users that are each associated with the buy group. Inthis way, the print procurement application is able to quickly provideother users with a clear visual cue as to how close they are to crossinga threshold interest level for each physical item in the buy group. Forexample, while displaying the respective user interface objects for eachphysical item of the fixed plurality of physical items, the computingdevice receives (714) an indication (e.g., receives the indication froma server, such as server 106, FIG. 1) that the threshold interest levelfor the first physical item has been satisfied. In some embodiments, theindication that the threshold interest level for the first physical itemhas been satisfied is received after (716) a second user, distinct fromthe user, modifies the ordering information (e.g., the second userprovides the user input 822 shown in FIG. 8G that causes the aggregateinterest level for the physical item to cross its threshold interestlevel). In accordance with receiving the indication, the computingdevice updates (718) the first user interface object to indicate that athreshold-specific price has been secured for the first physical item(e.g., by updating the threshold progress indicators 812-1 and 812-2 asshown in FIG. 8G). In some embodiments, this allows users to easily seewhat interest other users (e.g., those located in disparate geographies)are expressing in particular physical items. This allows companies thathave disparately located groups to have a single place where orderingdetails can be consolidated, in order to achieve lower price per unitcosts and also achieve consistency in materials utilized for variousmarketing campaigns.

In some embodiments, additional user interfaces are provided by theprint procurement application in conjunction (or during) with theoperations discussed above. For example, users are able to select aparticular physical item in order to view an item-specific details page(e.g., in response to detecting user input at user interface element806-1, the user is navigated to (i.e., the computing device displays) anitem detail user interface 805, FIG. 8H). In some embodiments, theitem-specific details page provides ordering information that isspecific to the first physical object (e.g., product information,dimensions, description, a preview image, and the like, as shown in FIG.8H). In some embodiments, the item-specific details page also includes anew representation of the current interest level for the first physicalobject during the first time period as compared to the thresholdinterest level for the first physical item (e.g., user interface element830, FIG. 8H, which also includes a textual description as to whetherthe threshold interest level has been met).

In some embodiments, users are further able to zoom-in on a previewimage for the first physical item (e.g., in response to user input 850,the computing device displays a zoomed-in preview image, FIG. 8I). Insome embodiments, the zoomed-in preview image is only available forthose physical items for which an administrative user has affirmativelyindicated that the zoomed-in preview feature is enabled (e.g., viaselecting an appropriate radio button in a configure buy group items1050 interface, FIG. 10I).

As shown in FIG. 8J, after the threshold interest level for the firstphysical item has been met, users may continue to modify currentinterest levels across shipping locations for each of the fixedplurality of physical items. In some embodiments, users cannot modifycurrent interest levels for the first physical item after it crosses thethreshold interest level (in order to ensure that the threshold-specificprice remains locked in). As shown in FIG. 8J, as users modify interestlevels for other items, the corresponding visual indicators are alsoupdated (e.g., in response to user input 870 increasing a currentinterest level for a shipping location in Moscow from 0 to 100, thecomputing device displays/updates a threshold progress indicator 814-1and 814-2 accordingly). Additionally, users may continue to selectindividual physical items in order to view item-specific detail pages(e.g., item detail user interface 805, FIG. 8K, for a second physicalitem distinct from the first physical item, the interface 805 includinga visual representation of the second physical item's aggregate interestlevel relative to a threshold interest level for the second physicalitem).

FIGS. 8L-8O also illustrate additional features that allow users tocollaborate efficiently within a particular buy group and to encourageusers to reach item-specific thresholds. As shown in FIG. 8L, inresponse to user input 882 near (expanded) user interface element 810,the computing device allows the user to move the expanded user interfaceelement 810 to a desired position within the buy group summary userinterface 803 (FIG. 8M). FIGS. 8M-8O also show that as the computingdevice receives indications (e.g., from a server 106, FIG. 1) that adifferent user is editing a current interest level at a shippinglocation for one of the physical items, the computing device displays avisual indication that indicates to the user both (i) that the currentinterest level at the shipping location is being actively modified and(ii) who is making the modifications (e.g., by shading with a color thatcorresponds to a user that is making the modifications, such as a colorthat corresponds to a color used to identify that user within expandeduser interface element 810). More specifically, in FIG. 8M, thecomputing device receives indications that user “A.G.” and user “S.R.”are modifying current interest levels for a “J.B. . . . Poster” itemand, in response to receiving these indications, the computing devicedisplays a clear visual indication that a modification is being made andwho is making that modification. As shown in FIG. 8N, S.R. has ceasedmodifying a current interest level for the J.B. Poster and is nowmodifying a current interest level for a “J.B.H.” item and, thus, thebuy group summary user interface 803 is updated accordingly. Finally, inFIG. 8O, the computing device receives indications that user “S.R” ismodifying a current interest level for the J.B.H. in a differentlocation (e.g., a fourth location in the buy group), A.G. continues tomodify the same current interest as before, and user “A.S.” is modifyinga current interest level for the J.B. Poster, and, in response toreceiving these indications, the computing device updates buy groupsummary user interface 803 accordingly (FIG. 8O).

In some embodiments, to provide additional information to usersregarding modifications to current interest levels, the select buy groupuser interface 801 is also updated to reflect which user most recentlymodified current interest levels in a particular buy group (e.g., asshown in FIG. 8P, user “S.R.” last modified First Buy Group and user“E.M.” last modified Second Buy Group). In response to user input 892,the computing device displays buy group summary user interface 803. Insome embodiments, the computing device receives a request to viewshipping locations in addition to the at least two of the one or more(currently displayed) shipping locations (e.g., user input 894 at arightward-pointing arrow graphic, FIG. 8Q) and, in response, thecomputing device updates the first user interface object to include arespective numerical value that reflects a respective interest level foran additional shipping location of the one or more shipping locations(e.g., respective interest levels for each physical item in the fixedplurality for a newly displayed shipping location, “West Yorkshire,” arethen displayed within the buy group summary user interface 803, FIG.8R). In some embodiments, in addition to navigating across to differentshipping locations, users may also navigate in a substantially verticaldirection in order to view ordering information for additional physicalitems within the buy group/fixed plurality (e.g., in response toreceiving a request from the user to scroll the buy group summary userinterface 803 in a downward direction, the computing device determineswhether additional physical items are in the buy group and, inaccordance with a positive determination, the computing device displaysordering information for at least one of the additional physical items).For example, ordering information for a “S.C. Poster” is additionallydisplayed within the buy group summary user interface 803 (FIG. 8S).

In some embodiments, users are also able to collapse and expand searchfilters (e.g., search filters associated with interface 808 arecollapsed in response to user input 896, FIGS. 8T-8U). In someembodiments or circumstances, by easily collapsing the interface 808,users are able to quickly view ordering information for some additionalshipping locations. As shown in FIGS. 8V-8W, users are also able to usethe search filters within interface 808 to filter down currentlydisplayed physical items (i.e., if there are a very large number ofphysical items in the fixed plurality, users can easily filter down thedisplayed list in the summary interface 803 in order to quickly finddesired items). For example, in response to user input 897 selecting afilter of color: black, only those items matching this selected filterare displayed (FIG. 8V). As shown in FIG. 8W, if no items matchcurrently selected filters, then an indication is shown that no matchingitems were found.

In some embodiments, even after an expiration period for a particularbuy group has expired (e.g., the first time period for the fixedplurality is one example of an expiration period), users are providedwith ways to access ordering information for the particular buy group.For example, after the first time period has expired, the computingdevice receives a new request to export ordering information associatedwith the fixed plurality of physical items in a particular format (e.g.,the computing device receives user input 904, FIG. 9A, then receivesuser input 906, FIG. 9B, and receives user input 910 within exportdialog 908, FIG. 9C. In response to receiving the new request, thecomputing device provides the ordering information in the particularformat (as shown in FIG. 9D, the ordering information is available forviewing as a spreadsheet).

As mentioned above, in some embodiments, the fixed plurality is a buygroup. In some embodiments, an administrative user sets up the fixedplurality/buy group using a backend interface (as explained below inreference to FIGS. 10A-10I). For example, theadministrator/administrative user creates each buy group in an Excelspreadsheet (e.g., such as that shown in FIG. 10D) and imports them intothe print procurement system using the interface shown in FIG. 10C. Insome embodiments, catalogs of items for each of the buy groups can alsobe imported into the system easily using an Excel file (FIGS. 10C and10E). In some embodiments, the first time period, the fixed plurality ofphysical items, and a respective threshold interest level for eachphysical image in the fixed plurality were selected by an administratorbefore the electronic device receives the request to view the orderinginformation (e.g., using the user interfaces discussed below inreference to FIGS. 10A-10I, the administrator sets up and configures thebuy group, which is then available to associated users via the userinterfaces discussed herein in reference to FIGS. 8A-8W and 9A-9D).

It should be understood that the particular order in which theoperations in FIG. 7 have been described is merely one example and isnot intended to indicate that the described order is the only order inwhich the operations could be performed. One of ordinary skill in theart would recognize various ways to reorder and/or combine theoperations described herein. Additionally, it should be noted that otherprocesses such as those described in reference to method 1100 of FIG. 11can be combined with the processes described in FIG. 7.

In some embodiments, an administrator uses an administrative componentof a print procurement application in order to configure buy groups(e.g., for use in conjunction with method 700). FIGS. 10A-10I areschematics of a display used to illustrate example user interfaces forsetting up and configuring a buy group via an administrator's componentof a print procurement system, in accordance with some embodiments.

As shown in FIG. 10A, a customer management user interface 1002 isavailable within a print procurement application that allows anadministrative user to configure buy groups. In some embodiments, theadministrative user selects a view buy groups link 1010 and is thenshown all current buy groups 1004 (e.g., all buy groups that areassociated with the administrative user, such as customer accountsassigned to a particular PPM or group of PPMs) within the customermanagement user interface 1002.

In some embodiments, a buy group controls visibility in a catalog ofphysical items that are available to one or more users associated withthe buy group (also referred to as members of the buy group). In someembodiments, all members of the buy group will see the same physicalitems for the catalog. The view including entered quantities andsubtotals will be shared by all members of the buy group (see, e.g.,FIGS. 8A-8W and associated descriptions above).

In some embodiments, the administrative user is also able to add new buygroups by selecting either a new buy group link 1006 or by selecting animport buy group link 1008. For example, in response to selection of thenew buy group link 1006 (e.g., user input 1014, FIG. 10A), theadministrative user is taken to a new buy group creation user interface1040 (FIG. 10B). As shown in FIG. 10B, the new buy group creation userinterface 1040 allows the administrative user to input details relatedto a new buy group (e.g., a buy group name, buy group locations, a startdate, an end date, a catalog, and entries to include in the buy group(i.e., physical items from the catalog)).

In particular, the administrative user may provide a unique name for thebuy group within the buy group name field. In some embodiments, thisunique name appears to users that are associated with the buy group, sothat they are able to distinguish between multiple buy groups that theymay be associated with (e.g., as shown in FIG. 8B, user E.M. isassociated with two different buy groups, so the buy group name isdisplayed to help the user distinguish between each buy group). In someembodiments, the administrative user may also provide a listing oflocations to which the physical items associated with the buy groupwould be shipped. In some embodiments, one or more shipping locationsmust be provided by the administrative user in order to create a new buygroup. In some embodiments, the start and end dates define a period oftime during which each associated user is able to indicate interest(e.g., a quantity desired) of/in physical items in the buy group. Insome embodiments, buy groups are closed at a predetermined time on theend date (e.g., 11:59 PM central time or 5:00 PM central time, or anadjusted time to account for local time zones of users within the buygroup).

In some embodiments, after a particular buy group closes, the quantitiesassociated with each physical item in the buy group are committed and,in some embodiments, converted to a purchase order for transmission toappropriate suppliers of each physical item. In some embodiments, only asubset of the physical items are committed and converted to purchaseorders, such as only those physical items for which an aggregateinterest level exceeds a threshold interest level (as explained above inreference to FIG. 7 and FIGS. 8A-8W).

In some embodiments, the administrative user is able to select a catalogand to then select physical items from within the catalog for inclusionin the buy group.

Turning now to FIG. 10C, buy groups may also be created by importingdata from an external file (e.g., an Excel spreadsheet). For example, inresponse to a selection by the administrative user of the import buygroup link 1008 (e.g., user input 1014, FIG. 10A), the administrativeuser is navigated to an import buy group user interface 1042. In someembodiments, administrative users are able to export a list of buygroups by catalog (as shown in FIG. 10C) and to export a list of activeitems for a buy group (as shown in FIG. 10C).

In some embodiments, the administrative user selects an Excelspreadsheet in order to quickly create buy groups based on informationincluded in the spreadsheet (such as the spreadsheet shown in FIG. 10D).As shown in FIG. 10D, in some embodiments, the imported spreadsheetincludes information identifying a buy group name, shipping locations,start and end dates, and an identifier for a product-specific catalog.

As is also shown in FIG. 10D, in some embodiments, the administrativeuser has an option to import buy group items as well (e.g., physicalitems that are available to the users associated with the buy group).For example, the administrative user identifies an external file thatincludes information about items to include in a buy group (such as anExcel spreadsheet like the one shown in FIG. 10E) and items are thenadded to respective buy groups (according to information included in thespreadsheet). In some embodiments, the external file includes anidentifier for a buy group and an identifier for an item to add to thatbuy group (e.g., an item code, such as a SKU).

Turning now to FIG. 10F, the administrative user is also able toconfigure users to be associated with new and existing buy groups, usinga configure buy group users 1044 interface. In some embodiments, aftercreating a new buy group (using either the user interface shown in FIG.10B or the import process described with respect to FIG. 10C), theadministrative user is taken to a user interface similar to that shownin FIG. 10F. As shown in FIG. 10F, the administrative user inputs orselects email and name information for each user who will be associatedwith the new buy group. In some embodiments, the administrative user mayalso add users to buy groups by importing information from an externalfile. For example, the administrative user selects an external file(using an upload buy group users 1046 interface, FIG. 10G) that includesinformation about one or more users (e.g., Excel sheet shown in FIG.10H) and the one or more users are then associated with the specifiedbuy group. In some embodiments, the upload buy group users 1046interface also allows the administrative user to download buy groups byuser or by organization (e.g., by selecting an appropriate radio buttonand clicking a download button, as shown in FIG. 10G).

Turning now to FIG. 10I, a configure buy group items 1050 user interfaceis shown. The configure buy group items 1050 user interface allows theadministrative user to configure details associated with each physicalitem in a particular buy group. For example and as shown in FIG. 10I,the configure buy group items 1050 user interface allows theadministrative user, for a respective physical item within theparticular buy group, to input a name, provide availability dates forthe respective physical item (e.g., start and expiration dates), providean indication as to whether this respective physical item is availableto the particular buy group, input a code, input a sort order to controlhow the respective physical item appears relative to other physicalitems within the buy group (e.g., within the buy group summary userinterface 803, such as that shown in FIG. 8C), provide meta classinformation, indicate whether an image for the respective physical itemcan be zoomed, provide descriptive information, and provide the image.Importantly, the user interface 1050 also allows the administrative userto use a threshold input 1030 to specify a threshold for the respectivephysical item, and this threshold corresponds to an interest level(i.e., quantity) at which the respective physical item is available fora particular price (additional information regarding thresholds isprovided above in reference to FIG. 7 and FIGS. 8A-8W). In someembodiments, the threshold input 1030 is also displayed adjacent topricing information for the respective physical item (in this way, theadministrative user is able to assess a level to which the thresholdshould be set). Stated another way, the threshold is the minimuminterest quantity that item would need to achieve to ensure that itwould be ordered at a particular listed price (such as a special offerprice provided by a particular supplier).

In some embodiments, users (associated with a buy group) are notactually purchasing items at the time they are expressing interest inthe items right away; instead they are expressing interest inprocurement at a later time based on the interest shown in an itemacross multiple users/buy groups.

In some embodiments, the user interfaces discussed above in reference toFIGS. 10A-10I are displayed on a display (e.g., display 208, FIG. 2) ofa computing device (e.g., user computing device 102-1, FIG. 2). Theterms administrative user and administrator are used interchangeablyherein to refer to a user of the print procurement application that hasspecial access privileges and is thus able to configure high-levelinformation regarding buy groups.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart depicting a method 1100 of a method ofefficiently managing buy groups in a print procurement system, inaccordance with some embodiments. FIGS. 8A-8W, 9A-9D, and 10A-10I areused to illustrate the methods and/or processes of FIG. 11. In someembodiments, each of the user interfaces presented in FIGS. 8A-8W,9A-9D, and 10A-10I are presented on a display of a computing device(e.g., display 208 of user computing device 102-1 or on a display for aserver system, as pictured for the user interfaces shown in FIGS.6A-6C).

In some embodiments, the method 1100 is performed by an electronicdevice (e.g., print procurement server 106, FIGS. 1 and 3) and/or one ormore components of the server. In some embodiments, the method 700 isgoverned by instructions that are stored in a non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium and that are executed by one or moreprocessors of the server, such as the one or more processors 302 ofserver 106-1 (FIG. 3). For ease of explanation, the following describesmethod 1100 as performed by a server system (e.g., server 106-1, FIG.3). In some embodiments, with reference to FIG. 3, the operations ofmethod 700 are performed by or use, at least in part, a printprocurement web application (e.g., print procurement web application222), a buy group management module (e.g., buy group management module110), one or more buy group database(s) (e.g., buy group databases 108),and/or a display (e.g., display 308). Some operations in method 1100are, optionally, combined and/or the order of some operations is,optionally, changed (e.g., by combining and or replacing some operationswith those discussed above in reference to method 700 of FIG. 7).

As described below, the method 1100 provides a fast, intuitive,easy-to-use, and robust way to manage buy groups (and, in particular,ensure that remotely located shipping locations are able to collectivelytake advantage of threshold-specific pricing options in a printprocurement system (in some embodiments, no one shipping location wouldbe able to satisfy the threshold alone)). Furthermore, managing buygroups in this way in print procurement systems allows users to createmore sophisticated and efficient marketing campaigns across remotelylocated offices, thereby allowing users to make better-informed andcost-saving business decisions.

Referring now to FIG. 11, the server system receives (1102), from anadministrator (also referred to interchangeably herein as anadministrative user), selections of physical items for inclusion in afixed plurality of physical items (e.g., via selections in a new buygroup creation user interface 1040, FIG. 10B, and/or via importing buygroup items using an import buy group user interface 1042, FIG. 10C),and each physical item of the fixed plurality of physical items isassociated with a threshold interest level (e.g., selected by theadministrator using a user interface like the one shown in FIG. 10I byinputting a value in threshold input 1030). In some embodiments and asdiscussed above, the fixed plurality of physical items is a buy group(1104).

In some embodiments, the server system monitors (1106), for eachphysical item of the plurality of physical items, respective aggregateinterest levels that reflect a quantity of a respective physical itemrequested by two or more disparately located users associated withdistinct shipping locations. In some embodiments, the server systemreceives information regarding changes to aggregate interest levels fromrespective computing devices that are associated with various users ofthe buy group.

While monitoring the respective aggregate interest levels, the serversystem detects (1108) a change in a first aggregate interest level for afirst physical item of the fixed plurality of physical items, and thechange is initiated by a user of an electronic device that is distinctfrom the server system (e.g., such as user input 816, FIG. 8D, changinga current interest level for a Chicago shipping location from 0 to 100,resulting in a corresponding change to the aggregate interest level aswell). In some embodiments, the user is associated with at least one ofthe distinct shipping locations (1110).

In response to detecting the change in the first aggregate interestlevel for the first physical item, the server system determines (1112)whether the first aggregate interest level satisfies a respectivethreshold interest level that is associated with the first physicalitem. In some embodiments and as discussed above, the respectivethreshold interest level is established by the administrator inconjunction with operation 1102 and is based on supplier-providedpricing data (e.g., supplier-provided pricing data that is displayednear threshold input 1030 in order to provide the administrator withcurrent pricing options to determine where to set the threshold interestlevel).

In accordance with a determination that the first aggregate interestlevel satisfies the respective threshold interest level that isassociated with the first physical item, the server system sends (1116),to at least the electronic device, an indication that athreshold-specific price for the first physical item has been secured.The indication allows the electronic device to display a visualrepresentation that the threshold-specific price has been secured (e.g.,such as threshold progress indicators 812-1 and 812-2, FIG. 8G).

It should be understood that the particular order in which theoperations in FIG. 11 have been described is merely one example and isnot intended to indicate that the described order is the only order inwhich the operations could be performed. One of ordinary skill in theart would recognize various ways to reorder and/or combine theoperations described herein. Additionally, it should be noted that otherprocesses such as those described in reference to method 700 of FIG. 7can be combined with the processes described in FIG. 11.

The terminology used in the description of the invention herein is forthe purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is notintended to be limiting of the invention. As used in the description ofthe invention and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and“the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless thecontext clearly indicates otherwise. It will also be understood that theterm “and/or” as used herein refers to and encompasses any and allpossible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. Itwill be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or“comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence ofstated features, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but donot preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features,steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

It will also be understood that, although the terms “first,” “second,”etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elementsshould not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used todistinguish one element from another. For example, a first region couldbe termed a second region, and, similarly, a second region could betermed a first region, without changing the meaning of the description,so long as all occurrences of the “first region” are renamedconsistently and all occurrences of the “second region” are renamedconsistently. The first region and the second region are both regions,but they are not the same region.

The foregoing description, for purpose of explanation, has beendescribed with reference to specific embodiments. However, theillustrative discussions above are not intended to be exhaustive or tolimit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Many modificationsand variations are possible in view of the above teachings. Theembodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain theprinciples of the invention and its practical applications, to therebyenable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention andvarious embodiments with various modifications as are suited to theparticular use contemplated.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method, comprising: at an electronic device with one or more processors and memory, wherein the electronic device is in communication with a display and an input device: displaying, by the one or more processors, on the display, ordering information for a fixed plurality of physical items, the fixed plurality of physical items including a respective user interface object for each physical item, wherein: the fixed plurality of physical items are associated with a first time period, the first time period spanning a start date and an end date for indicating an interest level in one or more items of the fixed plurality of physical items, the respective user interface objects include a visual representation of an aggregate interest level for each physical item during the first time period as compared to a threshold interest level for each physical item, and the aggregate interest level reflects a quantity of each physical item requested by a first user and at least one other user; while displaying the respective user interface objects for each physical item of the fixed plurality of physical items, receiving a first indication that a second user, distinct from the first user, is modifying ordering information for a first physical item of the fixed plurality of physical items; and in response to receiving the first indication that the second user is modifying ordering information, updating a first user interface object for the first physical item to indicate that the second user is modifying ordering information for the first physical item.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: while displaying the respective user interface objects for each physical item of the fixed plurality of physical items, receiving a second indication that a third user, distinct from the first and second users, is modifying ordering information for a second physical item of the fixed plurality of physical items; in response to receiving the second indication that the third user is modifying ordering information, updating a second user interface object for the second physical item to indicate that the third user is modifying ordering information for the second physical item.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first physical item and the second physical item are distinct.
 4. The method of claim 2, wherein the first physical item and the second physical item are the same.
 5. The method of claim 2, further comprising: while displaying the respective user interface objects for each physical item of the fixed plurality of physical items, receiving a third indication that a fourth user, distinct from the first, second, and third users, is modifying ordering information for a third physical item of the fixed plurality of physical items; in response to receiving the third indication that the fourth user is modifying ordering information, updating a third user interface object for the third physical item to indicate that the fourth user is modifying ordering information for the third physical item.
 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the first, second, and third physical item are distinct.
 7. The method of claim 5, wherein the first, second, and third physical item are the same.
 8. The method of claim 5, wherein the first, second, and third indications that the second, third, and fourth users are modifying ordering information includes displaying respective colors corresponding to the second, third, and fourth user on the respective physical item being modified by the respective user.
 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first, second, and third physical items are associated with one or more distinct shipping locations and the respective colors corresponding to the second, third, and fourth users are displayed on respective shipping locations of the first, second, and third physical items being modified being modified by the second, third, and fourth users.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first indication that the second user is modifying ordering information includes displaying a color corresponding to the second user on the first physical item being modified by the second user.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the first physical item is associated with one or more distinct shipping locations and the color corresponding to the second user is displayed on a respective shipping location of the first physical item being modified being modified by the second user.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the first user interface object for the first physical object includes a respective numerical value that reflects a respective interest level for at least two of the one or more shipping locations.
 13. The method of claim 11, wherein the one or more shipping locations are locations to which the physical items are to be shipped.
 14. The method of claim 10, further comprising displaying, by the one or more processors, on the display, a user identification object that includes one or more distinct colors corresponding to the second user and at least one other user.
 15. The method of claim 14, further comprising: detecting an input over the user identification object; and in response to detecting the input, repositioning the user identification object on the display based on movement of the input.
 16. The method of claim 1, wherein the first user and the at least one other user are each associated with distinct shipping locations and the aggregate interest level reflects interest levels across one or more shipping locations, the one or more shipping locations including the distinct shipping locations.
 17. The method of claim 1, wherein the visual representation includes a progress bar and a textual description as to whether the threshold interest level for the first physical item has been met.
 18. The method of claim 1, wherein a respective threshold interest level is associated with a current supplier-provided sale price for a respective physical item.
 19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing executable instructions that, when executed by an electronic device with a touch-sensitive display and an input device, cause the electronic device to: display, by one or more processors, on the display, ordering information for a fixed plurality of physical items, the fixed plurality of physical items including a respective user interface object for each physical item, wherein: the fixed plurality of physical items are associated with a first time period, the first time period spanning a start date and an end date for indicating an interest level in one or more items of the fixed plurality of physical items, the respective user interface objects include a visual representation of an aggregate interest level for each physical item during the first time period as compared to a threshold interest level for each physical item, and the aggregate interest level reflects a quantity of each physical item requested by a first user and at least one other user; while displaying the respective user interface objects for each physical item of the fixed plurality of physical items, receive a first indication that a second user, distinct from the first user, is modifying ordering information for a first physical item of the fixed plurality of physical items; and in response to receiving the first indication that the second user is modifying ordering information, update a first user interface object for the first physical item to indicate that the second user is modifying ordering information for the first physical item.
 20. An electronic device, comprising: a display; an input device; one or more processors; and memory storing one or more programs which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the electronic device to: display, by the one or more processors, on the display, ordering information for a fixed plurality of physical items, the fixed plurality of physical items including a respective user interface object for each physical item, wherein: the fixed plurality of physical items are associated with a first time period, the first time period spanning a start date and an end date for indicating an interest level in one or more items of the fixed plurality of physical items, the respective user interface objects include a visual representation of an aggregate interest level for each physical item during the first time period as compared to a threshold interest level for each physical item, and the aggregate interest level reflects a quantity of each physical item requested by a first user and at least one other user; while displaying the respective user interface objects for each physical item of the fixed plurality of physical items, receive a first indication that a second user, distinct from the first user, is modifying ordering information for a first physical item of the fixed plurality of physical items; and in response to receiving the first indication that the second user is modifying ordering information, update a first user interface object for the first physical item to indicate that the second user is modifying ordering information for the first physical item. 